UPDATE: Ga. records show Troy Davis' final death row hours

Lawyers for Troy Davis, Stephen Marsh and Danielle Garten, in car, are turned away at the Georgia Diagnostic Prison Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011 as they tried to gain access to give a polygraph test to Troy Davis before he is scheduled to be executed Wednesday night. Davis, who has always maintained his innocence, sits on death row for the 1989 murder of off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Supporters of Davis are urging Savannah's top prosecutor to intervene with just hours to spare before Davis' scheduled execution.(AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Spink)

FILE - In this Jan. 16, 1991 file photo, Troy Anthony Davis enters a courtroom for a hearing while on trail for the shooting death of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail. Death penalty appeals from condemned inmates usually hinge on technicalities, legal hiccups and procedural errors. But this week a federal judge will hear evidence from a death row inmate convicted of gunning down a Savannah police officer that will center on a more fundamental question: Is he innocent? Davis has drawn a considerable amount of worldwide support, from the Vatican to the European Union, from President Jimmy Carter to Pope Benedict XVI. The NAACP has launched an "I am Troy" campaign, and a Change.org petition asking the five-member Georgia pardons board to spare his life has attracted more than 100,000 signatures. (The Savannah Morning News, File)

The front of the prison had plenty of security on hand Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011 as death row inmate Troy Davis is scheduled to be executed Wednesday night. Davis, who has always maintained his innocence, sits on death row for the 1989 murder of off-duty Savannah Police Officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Supporters of Davis are urging Savannah's top prosecutor to intervene with just hours to spare before Davis' scheduled execution.(AP Photo/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, John Spink)

ATLANTA (AP) — After a long day of emotional goodbyes, Troy Davis knelt in his prison cell and began to pray 15 minutes before he was scheduled to die. Then a guard spotted him doing something less expected: He was sleeping.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press provide a glimpse into the last moments ofDavis' life before he was executed Sept. 21 for the murder of an off-duty Savannah officer. At one point, Davis vowed to fast and refused several prison meals, but as the night dragged on he asked for food. And as his 7 p.m. scheduled execution time came and went during a late appeal, guards caught Davis taking an hour-long nap.

Davis' execution for the murder of Mark MacPhail was the center of an international outcry from supporters who said he was the victim of mistaken identity. Prosecutors and MacPhail's family said they were certain Davis was guilty and that justice was served.

The documents were obtained through an Open Records request. Prison officials also provided an audio recording and transcript of his last words, which he used to again proclaim his innocence and urge his supporters to "continue to fight this fight."

Davis was no stranger to execution dates. The state had tried three other times to execute him since 2007 and each time it was delayed. One of the executions was called off less than two hours before Davis was to die. He was notified of the fourth attempt on Sept. 7, and a day later he was asked to make a last meal request. He scrawled a response in big letters: "None. Will Be Fasting!"

But he began quietly making arrangements in case the execution went forward. He sent prison officials the names of dozens of visitors — a list of 28 for each of his final two days. When he accidentally misspelled a name, he scribbled a note to an administrator with a correction, ending it with "God Bless You." And he sent an undisclosed sum of money from his personal prison account to a relative, describing it only as a "family gift."

He asked prison officials to allow four of his supporters to watch his lethal injection — attorneys Thomas Ruffin and Jason Ewart, minister Stephen Browning and his friend Gemma Puglisi, an American University professor who advocated on his behalf. He put Puglisi at the top when asked to rank the four, but prison officials rejected her without elaboration.

Davis was no model prisoner, the documents show. A record contained in the file lists five disciplinary violations during his 20 years in prison, including insubordination and failure to follow instructions. In March 2011 he was sanctioned for having a cell phone.

He had few possessions in his death row cell. The state issued him a uniform and clothes, some bedding, a pair of shower shoes, a roll of toilet paper, a container of deodorant, a toothbrush and toothpaste. His personal belongings were limited to a pair of glasses, a pen and a writing pad, two Watchtower magazines and his Bible.

Death watch began at 7 a.m. on Sept. 20, a day he spent meeting with visitors, watching TV and talking to his attorneys. A nurse brought him a fish oil pill and other unspecified medications around 9:20 p.m. and he was asleep within half an hour.

He awoke the next morning and refused his breakfast tray. He stayed in bed until about 7:50 a.m. when he was strip-searched and escorted to the shower. The prison warden met with him a few minutes after he finished shaving, and the first of his 28 visitors came to see him at that morning.

He turned down his lunch at noon and, after the last visitor left about six hours later, refused to eat an early dinner, requesting only the grape drink on the tray. Guards spotted him praying around 6:45, and 15 minutes later, when his execution was scheduled to begin, he was napping. He awoke an hour later, called his attorney for an update and asked the guards to bring in some food. He spent the next few hours on and off the phone with his lawyer awaiting news on his fate.

He probably heard that the Supreme Court denied his request for a last-minute stay shortly before guards came into the room at 10:28. A few minutes later, he was strapped to the gurney and execution witnesses started filing in. It was over at 11:08, when authorities pronounced him dead and cleared the death chamber.

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this is the State. Yeah we are putting closure on the Troy Davis matter, so an associated press item can be yours for the asking. We see that you have a quicklinks to him and let's face it, folks are going to be discussing this case for years like that Imperial Sugar tragedy y'all had. As you can see Savannah Morning News, we can portray him(Davis) in a different light from what his supporters have put out in the media. This will be icing on the cake, on your forums they will eat this up. You want it? Okay it's yours we just hit the sent key.

It is amazing to me how the justice system feels as if it has the right to take the life of another human being; they are not God. In life, there are somethings that we as humans should stray away from, even if it is a mandate from our employers. I pray for those that had something to do with killing this man. Regardless of your faith, you will have to give an account of your actions. There is not a job on this earth that could pay me enough money to kill another human; or lets just say, "sell my soul."

I like to think of Jesus as a mischievous badger. Shake and Bake!!!!!!!! don't mess with this nascar lovin pbr guzzlin limousine ridin kiss the girls stealin wheelin dealin son of a gun WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Working extra time to provide for his family. Working in a hellhole environment. Coming to the aid of a stranger getting beat by thugs. A homeless person, no less, but he put his life on the line. Shot by a street thug, then executed mercilessly. No trial, appeals, media support, etc. And I'm supposed to feel sorry for Officer McPhail's murderer after all this? Nope. Just sorry it took so long for justice (if that is the term) to be served.

"SMN, are we going to receive updates every week, ad nauseum? There is nothing whatsoever newsworthy in this story. Where is the update on Officer MacPhail's final hours? Doesnt he deserve equal time?"

I personally appreciate the updates from the SMN. It is a news source and this tragedy has made national news so why wouldn't the local paper report on the topic. Weekly updates is a great idea. As for Officer MacPhail and his final hours, well we know that he was at his off duty job doing the things that he was hired to do: guard the bus station. Did he deserve to get shot and die helping out someone in need? Definitely not. Is he a hero? Definitely not. He was doing his job. And by the way, his life was publicized all of those years ago and continue to be publicized every time someone does an article or broadcast on Troy Anthony Davis (...in the 1989 slaying of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark MacPhail).

"Davis was no model prisoner, the documents show. A record contained in the file lists five disciplinary violations during his 20 years in prison, including insubordination and failure to follow instructions. In March 2011 he was sanctioned for having a cell phone."

Five disciplinary violations in 20 years? That sounds dang good to me. That's 1 violation every 4 years. One for a cellphone? How many of you use a cellphone at time when you know is inappropriate?

I do sympathize with the McPhail family, but whether they want to admit it or not the MacPhail family has doubt of whether or not TAD killed their loved one. The MacPhail children were to young to understand what happened but has been fed information about the case over the years. I hope that the MacPhail family can live with the knowledge that they helped an innocent man die because they want closure. How can you receive closure when the real killer is walking free?

I am quite saddened by this case. Sometimes people are filled with so much grief and hate that they are just out for blood and revenge and not able to look at the picture clearly. To the City of Savannah and the State of Georgia the blood on your hands is your one way ticket straight to hell. I wonder how many MacPhail's will you meet there since they have kept quite and in return are the real murderers.

I was not going to respond to you until you said that the MacPhails are the "real murderers." . You and WillieLance should start some sort of club. Based on your above post, I almost wonder if you and he aren't the same person. You went too far when you referred to the MacPhails as the killers. The only killer involved in this whole 3 ring circus is Troy Anthony Davis. Whether or not you and your ilk want to admit it, justice was finally served. If Mark MacPhail's family wanted Davis executed and wanted to be there to witness the final act, they had every right to feel that way. If you are ever unfortunate enough to experience the murder of a family member , let's see how you feel. TAD (or RAH if you prefer) was a thug and a murderer. You have some nerve even mentioning his name in the same breath with that of a police officer and former Army Ranger. As I told WillieLance in another post, as much as you'd like to make Davis the victim, it just won't work. Stop trying to make a hero out of a convicted cop killer.

I like to think of Jesus as a mischievous badger. Shake and Bake!!!!!!!! don't mess with this nascar lovin pbr guzzlin limousine ridin kiss the girls stealin wheelin dealin son of a gun WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

since your mom is oblivious to the fact TAD/RAH or as I like to refer to him as Nelly (you know it's getting hot in here) can't be martyred and then in the same post blame the Macphail family for the death of good ol Saint Nelly. Kendra call DFCS immediately cause your mama ain't right.